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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bat — the animal
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wax — to grow
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. firm — decided
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. net — for catching
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. craft — a skill
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. craft — boats
  17. net — after costs
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. net — in sport
  20. firm — steady
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. board — a committee
  23. firm — a company
  24. bat — in an idiom

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com